Biochemical and Biophysical Changes to the Connective Tissues of the Bovine Hoof around Parturition

The most common cause of lameness in dairy cattle involves claw horn lesions (CHL), the majority occurring after calving. CHL present initially as haemorrhages of the sole and white line, and may progress to solar ulceration and separation of the white line1. Ossent and Lischer have described the progressive pathology of CHL2, however the underlying mechanisms of tissue damage are not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the biomechanical, biochemical and biophysical changes in the supportive connective tissue around first calving. The hypothesis is that the primary cause of CHL may be a reduction in the supportive capacity of the connective tissue in the hoof wall. This would permit the third phalanx to drop, transmitting greater forces to the sole, resulting in the pathology described by Ossent and Lisher2, and the clinical presentation described above. We have previously presented data demonstrating a decrease in the supportive capacity of the connective tissues together  ...